Kaitou Kousuke
by KousukeAsazuki
Summary: [dedicated to Kenbu] What detective in training Ayumu Narumi presumes to be a normal night is soon twisted into something straight out of a fairy tale when he runs into a mysterious redhead who gives his name as nothing more than 'Kaitou' AU, KouAyu
1. Chapter 1

As stated in the summary, this is dedicated to Kenbu. Go have a look at her fics, her chapter:review ratio is unbelievable! Much better than mine, which leads me to believe that her writing is much better as well, so go, now. I command you! Back? Good, enjoy!

Disclaimer:...I haven't posted one of these in so long I forget what I'm supposed to say. Some witty, sarcastic comment about how I own the characters and series while craftily informing you that I definitely _do not_ own Spiral? Sure.

Warning: Omg, none yet... should that be a warning in itself? With me, sometimes I think so.. XD

A/N: Excuse the blatant D N Angel reference with the Kaitou thing, it just fit well with the fic. XD, sorry I'm so corny.  


* * *

The Players: 

**Ayumu Narumi**

Age: 20

Occupation: College Student/ Criminal Investigation Major and Culinary Arts Minor

Status: Active (attending college)

**Kousuke Asazuki**

Alias: Kaitou

Age: 21

Occupation: Professional thief

Status: Active (building himself quite the reputation under the pseudo-name Kaitou)

**Hiyono Yuizaki**

Age: 21

Occupation: College Student/ Journalist Major and Criminal Investigation Minor

Status: Active (attending college/working for the local newspaper)

**Eyes Rutherford**

Age: 21

Occupation: Professional Pianist

Status: Inactive (currently spending a month away from touring for thus far unknown reasons/living with his mentor's younger brother)

**Kiyotaka Narumi**

Age: 26

Occupation: Lead Detective in the Osaka district/ professional pianist (retired)

Status: Active (currently away on business)

* * *

"I'm back!" Ayumu shouted, looking around the dimmed apartment. He sighed and threw his school bag onto the kitchen table, heading into the kitchen, _"They must be out," _he thought, referring to his two roommates, a honey-haired girl named Hiyono and an up-and-coming sensation, Eyes Rutherford. _"And...Hiyono ate all the food again." _He sighed to himself and closed the fridge, standing up straight once more and stretching. A glance at the clock told him that it was only quarter after six and that plenty of stores would still be open.

"Looks like I got out a little early tonight," he muttered to himself, heading back out the door. College courses weren't as rigorous as he had expected, even going into the detective business like his brother had. If the elder Narumi were still around, the schooling process would be a laugh. Kiyotaka could put in a good word for an untrustworthy criminal and the police force would hire him, no question. However, his brother had been gone for what felt like forever (when in fact it had only been a couple years) on a particularly tough case. Ayumu had heard from him, over the phone, that he was tracking a particularly slippery thief and that it might take him some time to catch the man.

The brunette locked his apartment door and headed outside into the warm night air. Spring had sprung and even though the air smelled of the city life, the feeling of spring was always a pleasant one. He turned a corner and made his way down a forbidding-looking alley. It didn't seem to phase him, however, as it was the quickest way to the supermarket that he knew of and the only thing on his mind at the moment was food.

---

_"Heh, that was easy, just like every other time," _a boy thought as he leapt from a fifteen story window across the narrow alley and latched onto the building across the way. He shifted his position and slipped a golden-plated knife, the handle adorned with gems, into a small, black bag which he slid over his shoulder. The black-clad figure made his way around the side of the building where he paused momentarily, panting slightly. He glanced the way he just came and grinned as a couple of uniform-clad officers stuck their head out of the window he had jumped from not a minute ago. Shouting could be heard inside the building 'search everywhere! Don't let him escape!' Sirens from cars racing down the street below and the loud whirl of helicopter blades soon turned the quiet street into a crime scene. Green eyes sparkled with excitement. The chase was on.

---

_"This should be enough," _Ayumu thought, checking the couple of bags full of food he had purchased from the store. He paused at the curb before crossing the street, tilting his head as the whine of sirens reached his ears. Moments later, three squad cars raced past him, causing him to jump away from the street and look in the direction they were heading. _"The museum?" _he wondered, _"Wonder if it got robbed." _Shrugging it off (and checking to make sure he wouldn't get plowed down by any other cop cars), Ayumu crossed the street and headed back to his quiet, normal apartment.

As he turned into that same forbidding alley, the detective-in-training paused. He listened carefully to the water from the morning shower drip down from escape ladders and landings, pooling in cracks and potholes along the broken ground. There was another sound mingling with the steady _drip, drip, drip_. It seemed, at the moment, he wasn't the only one traversing down that particular short cut. After a moment, he deemed it safe to continue forward, and began walking (albeit at a slower and quieter pace than before).

He scanned the straight shot to the civilized city ahead of him, and felt as he always did when walking down this alley. That this small space in between these two building walls was in a completely different world. Regardless of how much noise and life there might be on either end, the alley was always deathly silent. Anything could happen in this alley and the world around it wouldn't change for even a moment. It was as if time stopped here and everything that might happen while one was in it wouldn't affect daily life in the slightest. It was a place of horrific dreams and fantasies, and even the most fantastic things could and would happen-- but it would all just seem like a dream when one emerged on the other side.

Just as that familiar feeling of being separated from his city was sinking in, the footsteps that had only been faint before now echoed loudly around him. Ayumu stopped once more and blinked. He glanced over his shoulder, but (as he knew it would be) no one was there. No one was ever there-- after all, that feeling of this being a magical place not of this world _was _only a feeling. Ayumu sighed to himself, shaking his head and turning back to head out of the alleyway.

As soon as his head snapped back to attention, his chocolate eyes met vibrant green ones. A small shout left his mouth as he stumbled back, nearly tripping over his own feet at how close the other person had been to him. Once he composed himself, he looked the stranger up and down.

The man in front of him looked to be about his age, perhaps a little older, and a few inches taller. He had a lot of hair, but its color was indeterminable as he wore a black ski mask, which was folded up to reveal his face and not much more. He wore all black: black long-sleeved shirt, black pants, black boots (that appeared as though they might have been steel-toed), and black gloves. To match his attire, he had a black, drawstring school bag slung over his shoulder with something in it. The only color on the man at all was his emerald eyes, which stood out like nothing else ever had before. For sure, this was one of those wondrous things that could only ever happen in this alley.

The two broke their locked gaze when police sirens echoed through the alley walls. Something from that busy city was crashing through into this fantasy world, and Ayumu knew (without really knowing at all) that it was all because of this man in front of him.

"Who...are you?" It was the only question that raced to his mind. He had to know who this guy was.

The green-eyed mystery man stared at him for a second longer before flashing him an all-too flattering grin, "You want to know my name?" he asked in a smooth voice. He tugged the ski-mask off completely, his hair as bright and vibrant a red as the lights now blaring on the far end of the alley's walls. The police were here. "Just call me Kaitou." And before Ayumu had a chance to respond, one lovely green eye winked at him and the man was gone. Brown eyes watched as his mystery encounter climbed an available escape ladder and easily made his way up to the building roof and out of sight.

_"Kaitou?" _he wondered, slowly sinking back into reality.

"Sir...sir!" The brunette was snapped back to attention as two policemen ran up to him.

"Huh?" he asked, oh so intelligently.

"Sir, did you see a man come down this way dressed in all black and carrying a school bag?" one of the officers question, flustered and sweating a bit. It looked like he had just ran a marathon.

_"Kaitou..." _So the mystery man was now a mystery thief. Ayumu numbly shook his head, "No." After all, he _hadn't _really seen the man now named Kaitou, right? He had seen him in this alley, and things in this alley didn't stray to real life, which these policemen were clearly from. After all, he was Ayumu Narumi, aspiring detective and younger brother of the famed Kiyotaka Narumi. There's no way _he _would help aid a thief's escape.

"Are you sure?" the officer questioned again, though he didn't look as unbelieving as he did unsure. He seemed a bumbling fool more than an officer, "We saw him come right down this alley, I'm sure of it."

Ayumu just shook his head again and the other officer, an older and wiser-looking man spoke up, "Wataya," he spoke in a gruff voice, "If this gentleman says he saw nothing, then he saw nothing. He wouldn't lie to us."

"If you say so, Kanzaka, sir," the one known as Wataya commented.

The older officer, Kanzaka, sighed, looking to Ayumu, "Mr. Narumi, I apologize for the trouble, but you should get home. This alleyway isn't safe at the moment."

"You...know me?" Ayumu asked, tilting his head and looking the greying man up and down. The cold gaze and clean-cut look told him that Kanzaka was a formal and strict man. Ayumu wasn't sure he knew anyone like that.

"I knew your brother, Kiyotaka," he informed idly.

"Oh...oh, right." Once more, the messy-haired boy shook his head, finally ridding himself of most of the daze the previous events had put him in, "Yeah, you're the commissioner, right?"

"Exactly. Now, go on home."

_"Boy, isn't he friendly?" _Ayumu nodded and walked past the two towards the edge of the alley. He crossed the threshold and was once more thrust back into reality. Without looking back, for fear of what he might see, the brunette headed back to his quiet, normal apartment. _"Kaitou..."_

* * *

A tad longer than my first chapters normally are, I think, which is surprising for me. I hope this interests you enough to keep reading. If it does, review, it'll inspire me to write another chapter sooner! 


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't have internet for two days, which is.. not why I didn't update, but I'll say it is. XD, enjoy!

shortkitty: Wow, really? I thought my writing style sucked XD, thanks for reviewing!

misydidi: Oh, don't worry, we'll get there. However, this was requested to be a slow-moving fic, so it probably won't be for a while. I know, sad.. thanks for reviewing!

Polaris18: x-x, poor Ayumu, I'd be afraid if I ran into that. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: XD, I've been seeing less and less of you since I stopped writing KousukeAyumu. Thief!fics are bound to be fun. Thanks for reviewing!

Kenbu: Yay, glad you like it! And yes, D N Angel had quite an influence since I'm trying to picture Kousuke as Dark to keep from busting up laughing at making him be cool and smooth. XDD, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"Ayumu?" Hiyono asked, blinking down at him. One chocolate eye opened to find the girl's face inches from his.

"...what?" he muttered.

"Are you feeling okay? You've been sleeping a lot lately." She pulled back to give her hand enough room to press against his forehead.

"I'm fine," he insisted, batting her hand away.

"It's not like you to be _this _lazy, though." She smiled when he sat up with a groan, "There you go!"

"Perhaps he's met a girl," Eyes suggested from his place at the table, tea cup in hand.

Tired brown eyes glared over to him, "I haven't _met _anyone."

"Though, you were talking in your sleep," the journalist noted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes," Eyes agreed, casting a glance to Ayumu, "Something about a Kaitou?"

"Uh..." Ayumu blushed slightly, avoiding both of his roommates' gazes, "I don't know anything about that."

"That's why you're blushing," Hiyono observed, grinning slyly.

Ayumu just groaned and buried his face in a pillow, _"Why did I have to get stuck with these two?"_

---

"Kiyotaka." Said man looked up to see his partner and wife walk in through their hotel room door.

"Find anything?" he asked, distractedly. Papers and folders were strewn out on the bed he was seated on. Pictures of a black-clad man in various, fleeting positions (jumping from a roof, dashing around an alley corner, and even a rare, still picture of him on a balcony, surveying the building across from him) and documents with several eye witness reports cluttered the sheets.

Madoka shook her head, "No, the lead turned out to be a bust," she informed him, sitting on the other, less-cluttered mattress.

The shaggy-haired man sighed at the news and ran a hand through his hair, "Most of them are."

"Are you even sure he's in the area anymore?" she asked, slipping her high-heels off and stretching out on the bed.

"No," he answered, honestly. She tilted her head, detecting a large hint of frustration in his voice. Kiyotaka was a genius detective-- this must be hard for him, tracking a thief halfway across Japan and still having no luck.

"Have you talked to Ayumu lately?" Madoka decided a change of subject was in order.

"No," he repeated, this time a tinge annoyed. The black-haired woman sighed and grabbed a file off the bed, leafing through it.

"Maybe you should call him, take a break from all of this."

"I don't have time to be taking breaks," he said, shortly.

_"He's such a work-a-holic," _she thought, finding nothing new or interesting in the report that she was glancing over.

Kiyotaka glanced over at the woman he had chosen to marry as she picked up her phone and dialed a number. He shook his head and looked back through the files again, _"I don't see why she insists on calling him every other day, she thinks he's still a child."_

"Yeah, hold on." Madoka looked up to the concentrating man, "Have a minute to talk to your brother?" Without waiting for an answer, she tossed the phone to him.

The brunette sighed and caught the cell, putting it up to his ear, "What is it, Ayumu?" After a moment, "What? Are you sure? Yes... if it happens again, call me immediately. Of course I'm coming home." With that, he snapped the phone shut and tossed it on the bed by Madoka.

"What's going on?" she asked as he began organizing the folders and placing them in a suitcase.

"We're going back to Osaka."

---

_"I hope that was the right thing to do," _Ayumu thought as he hung up his phone.

"Something troubling you?" a British accent asked, stirring the brunette from his thoughts.

Ayumu glanced up to see intense blue orbs staring at him from the couch. He shook his head slightly, but gave no other answer. Even if he were going to confess his thoughts to someone, it wouldn't be the up and coming piano star-- he and Eyes had never really gotten along in any sense of the word. In fact, he had only agreed to let the silver-haired boy stay because Hiyono had begged him. Even though, Ayumu wasn't quite sure _why _she had. Knowing that would be a better distraction than anything else he could think of, Ayumu looked back the blue-eyed boy, who had returned to composing music.

"Hey, Eyes."

After a moment, in which the younger boy thought his stoic roommate was just ignoring him, Eyes glanced up again, "Yes?" There was a hint of irritation in his voice, but Ayumu ignored it.

"How do you and Hiyono know each other so well?" The brunette took a seat in a rather large chair across from the dining room table Eyes was sitting at.

"Little Narumi," an eyebrow twitched as he said this, "do not intrude on my personal life just because you feel you need a distraction from whatever is obviously bothering you."

"I don't need a distraction," Ayumu muttered, sore that Eyes had hit the nail right on the head, "Maybe I just wanted to know how my friend got to know such a bastard as yourself so well that you'd stay here instead of getting your own place."

Eyes studied Ayumu for a moment, as if determining whether he really meant a thing he said or not. Finally, he sighed and set his pen down, "I'd rather not spend my money on a place of my own if I can help it."

"Why not? You've got enough of it." Anyone else would have been bitter that Eyes was so much better off, but Ayumu was just annoyed with the boy himself.

"An excess in funds is no reason to splurge."

"That's what money is _for_." Ayumu sighed, "Just answer me, if I don't find out from you I can always just ask Hiyono."

"Or you could always do the laundry," Eyes shot back, implying once again that Ayumu had no real interest in the subject at hand, only looking for a means to distract himself from whatever was on his mind.

The messy-haired boy groaned and hung his head, "You're so infuriating, you know that, right?"

"I know," the silver-haired boy replied, as if used to the banter by now.

"What do you have against me, anyway?" Oh yes, Ayumu could carry this conversation on for quite a while if he were to delve into personal matters a bit more.

"What makes you think you mean enough to me for me to have a problem with you?" Eyes questioned, glancing back at his sheet music every once in a while-- a clear sign he wasn't giving Ayumu even near his full attention.

"You've hated me since the first day you came here, you'd think that would be enough to keep you in your own place, but you nearly insisted on staying here."

"I didn't insist," Eyes corrected him, "Hiyono insisted, I merely didn't disagree."

"Which means you _wanted _to stay here, even though you were a complete prick to me from the moment you walked in the door." Ayumu looked the Brit up and down, "So it's got something to do with Hiyono, right?"

At this, Eyes turned his full attention back to the parchment he had begun composing music on, "Little Narumi, if you insist on knowing about my relations with Hiyono, then perhaps you should ask her instead. After all, _she _is your friend, not myself."

Ayumu sent a glare worthy of the ice prince himself at the boy before standing and walking to the door, "Then I'm going for a walk." When no response came from Eyes (as he suspected), Ayumu half-stalked, half-sulked out of the apartment.

---

A while after Ayumu left, Hiyono entered the apartment in a flurry. She looked around to find one boy missing and tilted her head, "Where'd Ayumu go?"

Eyes glanced up and moved his shoulders in what might have been taken as a shrug, "Out."

The honey-haired girl sighed, "You didn't make him angry again, did you?"

"I did nothing," the silver-haired boy said, "He was the one asking too many questions."

"He was asking questions?" It wasn't very like Ayumu to be so interested in something concerning Eyes. "About what?"

The pianist wondered to himself how much alike his two roommates were in other aspects of their life. He sat down his pen again and looked to her, "About our relationship with each other?"

Hiyono blinked a couple times, "Our relationship? How did he find out about that?" Only then did she realize that the word 'relationship' had more than one meaning. She blushed faintly under his intense gaze, "Oh, so... did you tell him?"

"Of course not," he replied coldly, "It's in the past and none of his business. I told him if he wanted to know so badly to ask you, and then he left."

"You shouldn't be so mean to him," she chided, "He could kick you out or something."

Eyes simply stared at her, "He wouldn't and you know it, not as long as you tell him not to."

"It's not easy for me when you two don't get a long, you know."

"It's not easy for me when he asks so many questions," he shot back, "Why couldn't you have become interested in someone less intrusive?"

"Who says I'm interested in him?" Hiyono demanded, the rose color now flushing her cheeks.

"Why else would you talk to him?" the stoic boy deadpanned.

She pointed an accusing finger at him, "This is exactly what I'm talking about! Be _nice_, it's not hard, I promise." She sighed when all she got was more staring, "That always was a problem with you."

Not taking lightly to being insulted, Eyes once again turned back to his music, "If that's all you have to say, then I'll return to what I was doing."

"Ooh," she huffed, "Eyes Rutherford, you'll never change." With that, she made a dramatic stomping exit into her room.

* * *

I know, I didn't put any more Kousuke in here, but there's a reason. If I did, I'd have to drag him and Ayumu back together, and they can't meet again yet so there. And don't ask about the Eyes and Hiyono thing... it just... seems like it'd work in this fic, and... gives a reason wtf Eyes would be there when he could be in his own place. Yay, I have logic. Who cares if it's bad logic, it's logic isn't it? Exactly, good. XD, hope you enjoyed! 


	3. Chapter 3

Ugh, I have to go out and sit on top of my car now to get a wireless connection since the one that I got in my room, my brother's room, and the kitchen is now gone and dead. I need proper internet badly, but without a job (which I'm hopefully getting soon), that doesn't look so likely. Anyway, I'll shut up about my internet issues, and let you enjoy!

Polaris18: But Eyes is fun and easy to pick on. And Ayumu's not an idiot, he's cute and sexy. Thanks for reviewing!

Kenbu: Well, there's plenty of Kousuke in this chapter, so no worries there! Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: XD, well, as long as I haven't lost you for good, you little lurker. XD, I'll just write more yuri, that'll get you reviewing. And yes, EyesHiyono. It was very random and seemed very appropriate. I don't know why, but I actually... like it... in this fic. Like you said, cute and disturbing. XD, thanks for reviewing!

misydidi: Sure enough, there is a bit in here for you. Just enough for you to want more XD, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"It seems like forever since we've been back," Madoka commented, stepping into the airport lobby and looking around at all the travelers. She glanced over her shoulder at her husband, who was picking through luggage to find his own.

"It's only been a few months," he reminded her, finally grabbing a leather briefcase.

"The rest of our stuff is already being sent home," she confirmed as they headed out to the busy city street and waited for a taxi to pick them up. After a moment of silence between the couple, Madoka spoke again, "So do you think it's really him?"

"He's been eluding me for quite some time," Kiyotaka murmured, half to himself, "If he knows who I am, and who Ayumu is..."

"Why would he approach him?" she concluded.

He nodded and held the door open for her as a cab slowed down in front of them. Once inside, he took to looking out the window as the busy street passed them by. _"Unless it's a test," _he thought, leaving Madoka out of his internal conversation, _"He has always been one for games. Perhaps he's gotten bored and decided to play with fire." _He wondered idly if the thief thought Ayumu wouldn't call Kiyotaka about the incident. _"Regardless, if he's in Osaka, then perhaps he wants to end it." _Things like this always tended to come full circle.

---

"Close now, but not close enough," the redheaded thief muttered.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" a voice behind him asked. Kaitou turned to see his partner in crime, so to speak, leaning against the doorway of their current apartment.

He rolled his eyes, "Kiyotaka's come back to Osaka."

"The younger brother ratted, just like I said he would," Ryoko told him, "Kousuke, you really should be more careful."

"Careful? I'm a _thief_, I _have _to be careful." He sighed and looked back out the large bay window, "But this game of cat and mouse has grown a bit dull."

"So you're trying to mix it up by getting involved with his family?" Ryoko asked, frowning slightly, "Ayumu's looking to follow in his brother's footsteps, he'll turn you in the minute he has the chance."

"He should," Kousuke agreed, nodding, "but you forget one thing."

"And what's that?" the female thief asked, skeptically.

Kousuke chuckled and turned his back to her, watching the sun sink over the skyscrapers, "I'm Kousuke Asazuki, I never lose."

Ryoko sighed and rolled her eyes, _"You can think that all you want, but you're up against more than a mere detective here." _Kiyotaka Narumi was not one to be trifled with.

---

_"I wonder when Kiyotaka will be home," _Ayumu wondered, walking along the now-deserted streets of his city. It was late at night once more, and it never occurred to Ayumu that walking alone at night without any real means of defense might be a bad idea. But he'd done it so many times, who was to say tonight would be any different? And it wasn't like anything strange had ever happened before, not other than in that alley, and things there just didn't mix with reality.

He made his way to said alley and paused at its entrance. Clear as day, he could see the other side of the narrow way, even as dark as it was. All-night stores and their neon signs lit up the opposite street perfectly well, and there were even a few nighttime walkers like himself passing by the alley. There was nothing special about it until he took that first step in, and then it seemed as if the whole world was whisked away. The previous events with the strange thief only proved to strengthen his belief that odd things happened in that alley.

Tonight, though, he turned and walked past. He could have easily taken the shortcut like he did so many other nights, but that red-haired playboy had been on his mind too long. If he lived around here, perhaps he would see Ayumu and confront him. If the brunette wasn't in the alley when that happened, then perhaps he could believe such a breath-taking stranger really existed. Sure, Kiyotaka _had _been chasing that exact boy for months on end (if, indeed, it was the same thief), but who was to say his kaitou and his brother's were the same. Maybe he was being chased by the cops for a completely different reason.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A chilling voice from the shadows asked, surrounding Ayumu and making him jump.

Chocolate eyes were now alert and the teen was swerving his head in every direction, trying to find the source, "Who's there?" he asked, boldly, hoping it was who he knew it wasn't. This voice was much deeper and less friendly, nearly sinister.

"Don't look so frightened, I won't hurt you," the voice assured him, an evil chuckle following the words, "Well, much, anyway."

This tensed Ayumu even more and he suddenly felt very vulnerable, stuck in the middle of a street, no walls on any side. He slid his hand into his jacket pocket, fingers scrambling for a cell phone, but just as they brushed up against the device, different fingers (much colder and stronger than his) clamped around his wrist.

Ayumu jumped and looked up into menacing and deranged golden eyes. A twisted grin was spread across the man's face and his messy green hair served only to emphasize his animalistic appearance. He was tall, a bit taller than Ayumu, and had to be in at least his late thirties. He smelled strongly of liquor and if Ayumu had to guess, he'd say the stranger was one a few too many drugs that shouldn't be mixed with alcohol.

"Get off of me," the younger boy insisted, trying to wrench the stranger's hand off of his own.

"I don't think I will," the green-haired man hissed, drawing something out of his pocket. Ayumu saw a glint of silver one moment and was staring cross-eyed at the barrel of a gun the next. "You're just too cute to pass up."

The man's intentions were becoming more and more obscene as Ayumu let the meaning of his words sink in. "No," he stated firmly, though not sure what he could do to back it up, "Leave me alone."

"Aw, now, now," the stranger chided, cupping Ayumu's cheek and pressing the gun into his forehead when he flinched away, "Be a good little boy, and-"

"Just say no," yet another, slightly more familiar voice finished.

The stranger frowned and looked around, "Who's there?" he demanded, whipping his gun away from Ayumu and pointing it in a random direction that he assumed the mystery speaker was located.

"Not so fun now, is it?" the voice asked again, this time from clear down the other side of the street, "When you're the mouse being hunted by the cat?"

The man growled in the back of his throat and Ayumu edged away from him. Seeing the brunette's attempted escape, he pointed the gun back at him, "Show yourself or I waste the kid!"

"Patience, patience is a virtue, waste it not or it'll kill you," the voice sang out.

"Shut up, stop talking!" the stranger shouted, his wild eyes darting every which way every time the voice spoke again from another location.

"Isn't that how a conversation is held?" the disembodied voice wondered, now from behind Ayumu, "I talk," now from the nearby building, "and then you talk," behind the crazed drunk, "and then I talk again." Once again at the far end of the alley. His voice was firing off the walls so rapidly it became like an echo.

"Leave... leave me alone!" the gun-toting man demanded.

"I'm not doing a thing," the voice insisted, now sounding much closer and much more real. It was coming from behind Ayumu and he froze, almost sure he could feel the stranger's breath on the back of his beck, "Perhaps you should be the one to leave."

Looking around, much like a trapped animal would, the strange man edged away from the shadows and kept his gun locked on Ayumu as he backed away. Once he was far enough down the street, he turned tail and fled.

Ayumu sighed a breath of relief, and noticed that the presence he had felt behind him a moment ago was no longer there. "Wait," he called into the darkness, "Kaitou!"

"You remember me, I'm flattered." Then again, not many forgot Kousuke once he worked his way into their lives.

Brown eyes glanced around, the voice now further away again, "Where are you? I want to see you."

"Isn't that the oldest trick in the book?" he asked, amused, "Trust me, I won't do anything, I just want to talk."

"But," Ayumu frowned, a little taken back by the comment, "I _do _just want to talk." He might have been a detective-in-training, and this might be the most notorious thief in ages, but his head seemed to let his heart take over for the meantime.

"Say I believe you," Kousuke spoke again, his voice now on ground level, but still distanced, "Why do you need to see my face? We're talking right now aren't we?"

"Because I want to see you again," Ayumu confessed, glad that it was darkened around him as he thought he might be blushing faintly. How had this guy gotten to him so quickly, when no one else did?

"How endearing," the redhead chuckled, half-mocking, "Have I got the great Detective Narumi's little brother wrapped around my finger?"

The blush faded and Ayumu narrowed his eyes slightly, "I'm not wrapped around your finger," he stated firmly, "and if you're going to continue mocking me, then perhaps I don't want to see you that badly."

_"Too soon," _Kousuke thought, sighing slightly, "Alright, alright," he conceded, "I didn't mean it, don't get all flustered."

"I'm not getting flustered." If anyone else had been this rude and condescending, Ayumu would have turned and left the disembodied voice to remain without a face. However, the thief _had _just saved his life, the most he could do was talk with him a bit. That, and he still had an underlying desire to see his sparkling green eyes again and that cocky little smirk.

"Fair enough."

And there he was, only a meter or two away from Ayumu, dressed all in black as usual, but not even trying to hide his face or brightly-colored hair this time. As suspected, he wore a confident smirk along his lips and his arms crossed over his chest only served to boost his image of a cocky bastard.

Ayumu took him in as a whole, as a slightly-taller-then-him redheaded man dressed in black. Then, he broke each feature down piece by piece: The soft-looking texture of his spiky hair, the mischievous glint in his emerald eyes, the confident posture, and those eyes again, holding a secret that Ayumu knew he wanted to find out. Someone that could earn the name Kaitou and be taken seriously about it must have a story.

"Well," Kousuke finally spoke, "here I am."

"Uh...yeah," Ayumu muttered, feeling foolish. Why had he asked to see the thief again? Why was turning him in the last thing from his mind at the moment? Why did he feel the burning desire to get to know more about this person in front of him?

The redhead grinned, "You still look flustered," he pointed out.

"I'm... I'm not," the brunette insisted, locking his gaze with Kousuke's. For one, intense moment, the two were equals. Not detectives and thieves, but men and humans. Then time began again and Ayumu glanced away, unable to stop the chill running down his spine.

"You called your brother," Kousuke noted, chuckling at the younger man's shocked expression, "I expected as much, and it's why I chose you to show myself to."

"Because of Kiyotaka," Ayumu whispered, his stomach plummeting. Kaitou had no interest in him, he was just a pawn in their game of chase, something to make the odds a little higher and the game a little more fun.

"Of course, after all, you're not one for conversation." At Ayumu's defeated expression, Kousuke strode over to him so that there was only a foot or less in between them, "But make no mistake, the crazy drunk was right, you _are _kind of cute."

The blush was back and then his words sunk in, "You've been watching me." Then everything hit him like a tidal wave. He had been so caught up in the thief's appearance that he had forgotten his earlier thoughts; thoughts that if he possibly met this man again, that he could be real, that he really was here and Ayumu really was talking to him. The fact that Kousuke had saved him from the crazy drunk was enough of a reality check to clarify his existence. He had mentioned Kiyotaka, Ayumu had felt his breath on the back on his neck: He was real.

"Just a little," Kousuke confessed.

"Why? If I'm nothing more than a pawn in your game, then why would you..." Ayumu trailed off, staring intently at Kousuke, "Kiyotaka's back."

The redhead chuckled, "He is," he confirmed, "but that's not why I've been following you."

"Then why?" The joy of his brother returning didn't even have time to sink in, he had to know this answer. More than anything he had ever wanted or needed to know, the next words to come out of the thief's mouth would be the most important he had ever heard.

"I, Kaitou, have no interest in you," Kousuke stated, leaning in and brushing his cheek against Ayumu's to whisper in his ear, "but I, Kousuke, do."

Ayumu froze for a moment, registering the words very clearly. The mystery thief's real name was Kousuke. No, that wasn't what was important. What was important is that he had an interest in him, beyond using him to get to Kiyotaka. Ayumu ran the words through his head again and again to make sure that he couldn't have misunderstood what the mysterious man was trying to say, but he couldn't think of any other way he could interest the guy.

The warmth that the other body had brought was gone, and the brunette looked up to see that Kousuke had disappeared once again into the darkness. He let out a long breath that he had been holding in his absence from reality and shoved his hands in his pockets for lack of something better to do with them. His fingers brushed against his cell phone and he pulled it out. Without a second thought, and with no real idea of what he was doing, he dialed Kiyotaka's number.

"What?" the voice on the other end of the line answered, slightly annoyed but definitely his brother.

"Hey," Ayumu greeted, staring at the ground, rooted in place. He wasn't sure why (perhaps the shock of recent events hadn't worn off yet), but he couldn't bring himself to walk quite yet.

"Where are you?" Kiyotaka demanded, sighing as something that sounded like glass broke in the background.

"I'm on my way home, you?"

"At home." He didn't sound pleased to be so, "Whoever decided that liquor should be involved in welcome home parties needs to be slaughtered."

Ayumu chuckled-- he knew how Madoka and Hiyono drunk were. The thought of them together was a nightmarish reality that stirred him from the pleasant dream he had been having. Finding himself able to walk again, he slowly started down the street.

"Why did you call?" Kiyotaka asked after a short silence.

Ayumu's mind raced-- why _had _he called? He kicked a pebble down the street, "Um..."

"Did you see Kaitou again?"

All thoughts came to a screeching halt. That would be the obvious reason why he would call his brother so late at night, but was it really? Ayumu shook his head, "No, I... just wanted to know when you'd be back."

"We took the first flight out," the elder brother informed him, "We've been back long enough for these two to get annoyingly drunk."

_"At least Eyes doesn't drink," _Ayumu thought. He wasn't quite sure how the normally-stoic boy would handle alcohol, "I'll be back in a few minutes, try not to kill them."

"I'll try, but no promises," Kiyotaka answered. Madoka was heard shouting about something or another in the background before the line went dead.

Ayumu chuckled and hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He paused and glanced down a certain alleyway he had already passed that night. In his daze, he must have gotten turned around, and headed back the way he came. He looked down the alley for a long moment before once more retracing his steps away from it. He'd already had enough odd yet wonderful things happen to him tonight.

* * *

I think I got inspired to write by my font. o.o, it's called OldDreadfulNo7 BT and it's fun. Though, it did take some getting used to. Much better than that Franklin Gothic Book I was using before, it kind of reminds me of Comic Sans, but...more messy-looking. I'll shut up since I'm ranting about fonts now, but fonts are awesome. Hope you enjoyed! 


	4. Chapter 4

Finally done. This just seemed to take forever, didn't it? I'm not even sure it's that satisfying. There's no KousukeAyumu in here, but there is a lot of Kiyotaka x-x. I didn't intend for it to be that way, but this chapter basically just follows him around. Ayumu and Kousuke are both in it, though, XD just not together. Well, if you want it to progress slowly, they can't be together every chapter. And since I forgot to put Ryoko's profile up last chapter, I'm doing it now. Enjoy!

New Player:

Ryoko Takamachi

Age: 21

Occupation: Professional thief

Status: Inactive (reasons thus far unknown; living with Kousuke (Kaitou) and aiding him if and when need be)

misydidi: XD, glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: XD, yes, you do, and I'm very happy about that. And unless Eyes and Hiyono hook back up, I doubt there'll be any actual shipping of them, but you never know. And that review so got cut off, so... XD, thanks for reviewing!

Kenbu: Cute little things like that are necessary with a slow-progressing plot like this one. They sustain us until we get to the good stuff. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"They're finally asleep," Ayumu sighed, collapsing on the couch across from his brother. 'They' being Hiyono and Madoka, who had insisted on drinking more than recommended and certainly more than wanted.

"They'll both be complaining in the morning about hangovers," Kiyotaka predicted, "but at least it'll be awhile before they're awake."

The younger brother nodded and relished the silence that sunk between them. For the past five hours, since he'd been home, the two female inhabitants had been loud, annoying (more so than usual), and talked non-stop about everything. Very little of any of their conversations were relevant to each other and they mostly started talking about nothing in particular. Drunks were never a favorite of Ayumu's for sure; like that drunk that had nearly either killed him or raped him (or possibly both) earlier that night.

He closed his eyes as memories of Kousuke came back to him, and he couldn't contain his excitement. He wanted to tell someone, tell Eyes, tell his brother, tell Hiyono, tell everyone. Then the reality of what he was getting himself into sunk in, and he realized who this was he was dealing with. A thief that had eluded the most ingenious detective Japan ever saw. How could he possibly tell anyone he knew him and only wanted to get to know him better?

"You're being quieter than usual," Kiyotaka noted, glancing up from his book to his sibling, "What's on your mind?"

Ayumu looked to Kiyotaka, and for a fleeting moment, swore he could tell him everything. It was his big brother, after all, of course he could trust him. However, he was then reminded that Kiyotaka was also a lead detective, and had only come home because Ayumu told him Kousuke was here in their hometown.

"It's nothing big," he lied, glancing away, "Just my thoughts running."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Kiyotaka asked, knowing better. He didn't need to be a detective to know his little brother was hiding something big.

"It's nothing you're concerned with." Even that was a lie, but perhaps it would put Kiyotaka off. If he thought Kousuke wasn't involved, he wouldn't ask anymore questions.

"That's not true," the elder brother commented, setting his book down, "You're my brother, of course I'm concerned with it."

Ayumu blinked and looked up, making sure he had heard right. When Kiyotaka simply stared at him in return, he hid a tiny smile. _"I suppose in all of this, I figured he'd put his job first."_ Kiyotaka had always been a work-a-holic, but he had also always been there for his family.

"It's..." Even though Ayumu felt he could say, the words weren't easy to get out. This was one thing he didn't want to regret. If he let Kousuke be caught, if he had anything to do with it at all, he wouldn't forgive himself.

"Kaitou," Kiyotaka said for him, "I figured as much."

"Yeah," Ayumu sighed, " I ran into him again... on my way home."

"Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"I didn't want you to catch him," he confessed.

"Why?"

"I..." the brunette trailed off, biting his lip. What a wonderful question that was: Why? It had so many possible answers and none that made a bit of sense. All the excuses in the world couldn't fit right. He didn't even know Kaitou, he couldn't be attached to him. This was real life, not some cheesy romance novel where the detective and the criminal get caught up in the heat of the moment and fall in love. "I don't know," he finally said, "I just don't want to see him get caught."

"You care for him." It wasn't insinuative or judgmental, just a simple realization.

"I don't," Ayumu said quickly, "but he helped me out, and I want to repay the favor somehow."

An eyebrow quirked, "Helped you out?"

"Uh, yeah... he kind of... saved me?" Kiyotaka wasn't overprotective, but generally the idea of a mugger nearly raping and killing your younger sibling wasn't something older siblings took well.

"Saved you from what?"

"Just a drunk." He didn't need to know _everything_.

Unfortunately, Kiyotaka wasn't one to be fooled. He knew how people were and especially how drunk people could be. Two and two weren't hard to put together when you were a genius. "You're not going out at night anymore."

"Wha- what?" Ayumu stared at his brother, "You can't tell me-"

"As long as you're living under my roof, you'll live by my rules. I can and am." He watched as the messy-haired boy frowned and looked away. His usual cold disinterest gone, he was now all but sulking. "I don't want you being hurt, or worse."

"I didn't get hurt," the younger brother said immediately.

"You could have, and would have if someone hadn't been there to save you."

"You don't know that," Ayumu muttered, but knew Kiyotaka was right. If Kousuke hadn't been there, he'd probably be dead right now.

Kiyotaka went to say something more, but paused as his phone rang. "Yes?"

Ayumu could hear a nondescript voice on the other end, but couldn't make out any words. All he could hear was Kiyotaka making several, short replies such as 'yes' or 'no' and a few other, more colorful words. Ending with a 'fine', he hung up and stood from his seat, the conversation he had been having with Ayumu now put on hold.

"Is everything alright?" the college student wondered, watching as Kiyotaka pulled his shoes and jacket on.

"Fine, just a business call." Without leaving room for Ayumu to ask anymore questions, Kiyotaka exited the apartment.

The brunette stared after his brother, "What kind of business call does he get at one in the morning?"

---

"It's about time you got here," a gruff voice said. It belonged to a man with graying hair and glasses, in his late thirties or early forties. He was well-dressed for so late at night and looked groomed and educated. His eyes gave Kiyotaka a cold look as he strode up to him.

"I was having a conversation with my brother, you're lucky I came at all," the younger man replied, "Are you sure it's him, Kanzaka?"

"Positive, one of my men saw him not three yards away." While the commissioner seemed stoney-faced and proud of this fact, Kiyotaka shook his head.

"You had someone nine feet away from him... and they didn't _catch_ him?"

Kanzaka's posture slipped for a moment and a look of distaste and resentment filled his eyes. He regained his composure and looked toward the building they were standing in front of-- a museum filled with artifacts both old and new. A thieving paradise.

"You yourself have yet to even see this man, I don't think you should be mocking anyone."

"Considering that I've trailed him without ever seeing him, I'd say I'm doing better than you." The two shared another sidelong glance, both fighting for superiority. While Kanzaka had the cushiony job title, Kiyotaka had the skills and recognition that came with them. While it was clear who was superior, the bespectacled man was too full of pride to hand over the spotlight to someone so young and talented.

"No one's seen him leave the building, so he must still be inside," Kanzaka said, turning the conversation back to business.

"No one may have seen him leave," Kiyotaka agreed, walking toward the museum, "but that doesn't mean he's still inside." Thoughts raced through his head, as they always did every time he got a lead on Kaitou. This time, though, the thoughts didn't consist of how to catch him, but how to make him stay in one place for more than a second.

As he entered the building, he noticed immediately that all alarms and traps had been disarmed. He chuckled to himself-- after so many clumsy officers tripped their own trip wires, they must have devised a better plan. At the very least, one that didn't involve them walking into their own trap. He thought perhaps Kaitou wasn't the master of escapes that he thought he was, he was only lucky that his chasers were such idiots. Then again, in all his time chasing the thief, Kiyotaka had yet to even be in the same town as him when he struck, let alone the same building. If he was still in the museum, Kiyotaka would find him.

He strode quickly but surely down the hallways, making not a sound and scanning each and every room as he passed them. Of course Kaitou could be hiding in the depths of any shadow, but Kiyotaka wasn't really looking. The quick scan was simply for show-- if he was going to catch the thief, it wouldn't be here, on his turf. The detective's goal tonight, though, was far from capturing him and turning him into the authorities; his goal tonight was to meet this legendary phantom face to face and see what had made his brother soft for him.

Police officers roamed throughout the hallways, their flashlights shining into every nook and cranny. Kiyotaka merely shook his head in amusement and headed for the back exit. Like he had expected, the door was locked, but a quick second with a bobby pin and it came ajar. Nothing signaled that he had just broken through the door-- apparently all the alarms needed to be disabled.

Outside, he turned away from the museum and walked to the adjacent building, a group of stores crammed together in the fashion of a strip mall. Climbing the ladder to the roof of the nearest store, he scanned the higher level. Sure enough, a figure was sitting at the far end of the roof, watching the guards through the museum windows, still searching for the thief.

"Do you think they really think I'm still in there, or are they just going on that idiot Kanzaka's orders because he refuses to admit he lost to me again?" Kaitou asked, a grin playing across his lips.

"They're not paid enough to think," Kiyotaka decided, glancing to the museum out of the corner of his eye, then back to Kaitou.

After a moment, the redhead stood and faced his pursuer, a playful look in his eyes, "But the commissioner had an ace up his sleeve, didn't he?"

"If that's what he'd like to think."

Kaitou chuckled, "Oh? You mean you're not playing fetch?"

"I'm off duty." A sense of satisfaction filled the older man as the criminal opposite him started slightly, unsure of what to make of the statement.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see what was so special about you," Kiyotaka stated plainly, "and I don't."

Kaitou quirked an eyebrow, "You don't?"

"No, I don't see what he does."

Emerald eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement, the air between them not thick, but certainly tense, "You mean Ayumu."

"I do," the older brother confirmed, "If it's me you want, then-"

"But it's not," the younger one cut him off, "Why would I want someone that's out to lock me up?"

"Why are you so sure that's what I'm here for?" Kiyotaka wondered, not moving in the slightest or even blinking. Honestly, it was a bit creepy, but Kousuke was so caught up in the moment that he barely noticed.

"Why else would a detective track down a thief?" he wondered, "It seems pretty simple to me."

"It was," Kiyotaka agreed, "Until you involved Ayumu and complicated things."

"All I did was save him from some old, drunk guy. How is that complicating anything?"

"You saved him, and now he wants to repay the favor through me." Kiyotaka, for some reason, disliked the grin that his statement brought.

"I see," Kaitou chuckled, "How sweet of him."

Then, like all big brothers, Kiyotaka asked the timeless question, "What are your intentions with him?"

"Wouldn't it be to get to you?" the redhead wondered, "So that I could take out the main threat?"

Kiyotaka shook his head, "Even if that did work, you'd have no reason to. You could have easily been gone by the time I got here." Kaitou nodded in agreement, considering it all, "Besides, if anything, you must want to end this game soon."

"End the game," he repeated, as if in a daze of which he soon snapped out, "I do, but not like you want to."

"You're assuming I want to catch you when if I wanted to that badly, I could have at any point by now."

"You won't be satisfied until you do, even if it's the last thing you do." Kaitou tilted his head, "Come on, Detective Narumi, I know people like you."

Kiyotaka looked the thief up and down once and then turned his back, "No, you know people like Kanzaka-- full of pride but void of sense."

The mouse watched as his cat turned and left him alone on the rooftops. He grinned, wider than before, and looked over his shoulder as another figure joined him, "I told you, reverse psychology works on them all."

"You're such an idiot, Kousuke," Ryoko sighed, "Kiyotaka isn't going to be fooled by words or tricked into giving up."

"Then you explain it," the male thief said, crossing his arms, "Kiyotaka is full of pride, whether he wants to admit it or not. He is only human, and that is one major flaw he's got. Either way, I'm right; either he is too proud to lose this game, or he's too proud to admit it and he'll throw in the towel."

"You still think he's just like everyone else, don't you?" she wondered. Though, in the light of logic, it did seem Kousuke was right.

"He_is_ just like everyone else," he told her, "He's just a bit more proud, a touch more talented, and," he held up his prize: A golden turtle with an emerald encrusted shell and diamond numbers engraved on the back, "a tad more lucky."

* * *

In a way, not much happened, but at the same time a lot did. A lot of small things happened, but nothing major... yet. I won't say any more. Oh, and anyone who gets the turtle thing gets a cookie. Hope you enjoyed! 


	5. Chapter 5

Uh... Kenbu.. when you said you wanted it slow moving.. you meant the updates, right? Good, I was sure that was it... x-x, don't kill me? I put more KousukeAyumu in it for you! So enjoy!

misydidi: I think I've written enough lemons on this site to not be afraid to put anything up on here. However, I stated before, and I will again, this fic is a request and when it was requested, I was asked to make it a slow-progressing plot line. That means that there will be a lemon, most likely, but it's going to take a while to get to it. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: XD, oh gods, never be around me when you're drunk. I don't need to be glomped to the ground or anything. XDD, thanks for reviewing!

Kenbu: XD, yup, and its name was Lucky. Well, I made up for the lack of KousukeAyumu (and updating x-x) with some in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"That was quick," Ayumu commented, looking up as Kiyotaka made his way back into their apartment,"Usually you're gone for weeks when you get a call."

The older brother shrugged his jacket off and tossed it onto the couch, "False alarm."

Ayumu raised an eyebrow, "That's new. They're just calling you in for suspicions now?"

"With this guy, yes."

A chill ran down Ayumu's spine as the words sunk in. There was only one person that could be held in such high regard. "Kousuke."

The word barely passed through his lips in a whisper, but Kiyotaka sure caught it. "Kousuke?" he repeated, "Who's that?"

Ayumu froze to the spot, quickly averting his gaze from his brother's, "It's no one. Just someone I met, I don't even know his last name, nothing important."

Golden-brown eyes gave a skeptical look to the younger sibling, "Ayumu, I can tell when you're lying to me. Especially when it's so blatantly." The messy-haired boy, however, just shook his head and turned his attention back to the magazine he was reading. Kiyotaka sighed, "I think it's clear who you're talking about. How did you find out his name?" Not only was it impressive, but also a little demeaning. Kiyotaka had been on this case how long? Yet, he had nothing but a few false leads and a conversation. Ayumu had his name and who knows what else.

"He told me," the chocolate-haired boy muttered. There couldn't be any harm in simply telling a name, right?

Kiyotaka's thoughts raced back to the conversation he had had with Kousuke only an hour before. Now that he thought about it, Kousuke had never answered his question pertaining to what the thief's intentions were with his brother. Another thing bothered him, though, something more than the possibility of his little brother getting hurt. Kousuke seemed to know him inside out, _"You won't be satisfied until you do, even if it's the last thing you do... Come on, Detective Narumi, I know people like you." _What Kiyotaka didn't want to admit was that Kousuke probably _did _know people like him: Talented and overly sure of himself. He took his abilities and put them to good use, and since he never lost a case, he thought he was invincible; that even the toughest criminals couldn't escape him. It was a foolish mind set, but it was hard to think you weren't perfect when no one ever told you differently.

Looking at his situation now, though, the elder Narumi wasn't so sure he was so high up on his pedestal. Kousuke had done what no other opponent had done before. He had completely ignored Kiyotaka's advances, and gone straight for his metaphorical throat. If his brother was involved, then it complicated things. All other cases had been cut and dry, but this one needed to be handled with a finesse Kiyotaka wasn't sure he possessed anymore.

"Kiyotaka?" Ayumu asked, tilting his head, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," the older man muttered, "Just thinking."

A small frown lined Ayumu's lips, "What's wrong?" He was sure it had something to do with Kousuke, and most likely him as well. He didn't want to cause his brothers any problems, but he wasn't sure that was possible by this point.

"Ayumu, I want you to go to him again." The surprised and confused expression was enough for Kiyotaka to continue, "I'm not sure what he wants with you, but I can't keep you two separated forever. Besides," a glance was cast to the seated man, "You don't want to be apart from him, do you?"

A faint blush covered Ayumu's cheeks, "I don't know what you mean."

The reaction was enough, and Kiyotaka shook his head, "Then go figure it out."

The messy-haired brother tilted his head and looked his sibling up and down, "Why the sudden change of attitude?"

The two locked eyes for a moment before Kiyotaka let a small smile slip across his lips as he ruffled his brother's hair, "You're my little brother, aren't you? You won't be happy if this ends how it was planned to, and your happiness overrides my job any day."

Ayumu stared at his brother for a moment, unbelieving. Had he really just said that? Had his brother, the great _detective Narumi_, just said that his job wasn't the most important thing in the world-- no, that _Ayumu _was _more _important? Wordlessly, Ayumu stood and hugged the taller man, closing his eyes.

Kiyotaka rolled his eyes and half-heartedly hugged him back, "So get going."

"What's the rush?" Ayumu wondered, relieving his brother of the unwanted affection.

"Can you say you really want to stay around here when you could be out with him?" A faint chuckle escaped Kiyotaka's throat as Ayumu quickly considered the words and shouted a goodbye on his way out the door.

---

As Ayumu made his way down the empty night streets, he glanced through a store window to see that it was nearly midnight, _"I have class in the morning," _he thought, _"I should be at home sleeping, not out searching for someone who I barely know and have no way of finding other than dumb luck." _

Whether it was indeed the inherit Narumi trait of being lucky, or planned by a certain redhead, Ayumu did find himself soon face to face with Kousuke. The redhead was dressed in street clothes and at the moment, didn't look like a thief at all.

Stumbling and nearly running into the man, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, Ayumu immediately lost all thoughts of college and focused on not making a fool of himself. "Kousuke."

"I didn't think you'd be out tonight," the redhead admitted, "Don't you have school or something tomorrow?"

Ayumu blinked, "How do you know that I have class?"

Kousuke shrugged, "Well, you're college-aged and tomorrow's Monday. So, I put two and two together..."

Another blush adorned the brunette's cheeks, this time for feeling foolish at not realizing such a simple fact, "Oh, right."

Instead of mocking him, Kousuke simply chuckled and grabbed the younger one's hand, "So, I take it you aren't going anywhere in particular?"

For a moment, Ayumu focused on nothing but the hand clasped around his. His entire body felt stiff and rigid, as if moving would break the atmosphere that one simple touch created. Reminding himself that he was twenty years old, and not a prepubescent teenager, Ayumu shook his head and looked away, "I was looking for you."

"Really now?" Kousuke chuckled, _"So he found out Kiyotaka and I had a run in and came to find me? How sweet."_

"Kiyotaka told me to."

Kousuke's thoughts ran to a screeching halt, "Wh-what?"

Ayumu blinked, and for a moment looked right into those vivid green eyes. Had he actually just stuttered? How this mysterious, wondrous embodiment of perfection just _stuttered_? Moreover, had it been Kiyotaka that made him do so? "Kiyotaka told me to come find you,"he repeated, now watching every reaction carefully.

_"So he's playing at that, is he?" _Kousuke frowned slightly, a bit troubled. He hadn't expected Kiyotaka to be so careless with his brother.

"He said that he wanted me to be happy, and that his job wasn't as important," Ayumu continued, hoping he was saying the wrong thing. Any wrong word could scare Kousuke off, which was exactly what he didn't want.

_"Bullshit," _Kousuke thought, but just nodded, "I see."

"So is everything alright?" Though he said nothing was wrong, the thief still looked troubled.

"Ah, yeah," the trademark grin took its place once more, "Of course."

"So where are you taking me?" Ayumu wondered after a few minutes of silent walking.

"To meet a friend of mine," the older man answered, "Actually, we live together."

_"They live together?" _Generally, people who lived together were either involved or family. _"He said it was only a friend, but it might be an ex..."_

"She's a thief as well," Kousuke continued, not noticing his companion's hesitation, "but not as large scale as I am."

Relief flooded through the brunette and he sweatdropped, "You sound pretty proud of it."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's not everyday you hear about someone as good as me."

_"And cocky to boot," _Ayumu thought, sighing, _"I could try and ignore the fact that he was a thief if he didn't bring it up." _So now not only was he protecting one criminal, but two. Certainly Kousuke would frown upon him turning in a friend of his. "So, what's this friend like?"

"Hm, Ryoko? She's... she's nice, I guess, but kind of violent." Upon seeing Ayumu's uncertainty, he laughed slightly, "Don't worry, I think it's just with me."

Each step closer to the thief's hideout and home quickened Ayumu's pulse. He was going to Kousuke's home, he was going to see where he lived and the things that were most familiar to him (other than, of course, the inside of a museum). He wasn't sure at all of what he was doing, but his brain had ceased to function a while back, and now nothing but his heart was leading his footsteps next to, but slightly behind, the object of his affection.

"You're pretty quiet," Kousuke noted. Never being one for awkward silences, or any silence at that, the suave boy tried to keep the conversation going.

"There's not much to talk about," Ayumu pointed out, "We don't have a lot in common."

"Well, that's just because I don't know anything about you. Tell me about yourself."

_"About myself?" _This could pose a problem-- Ayumu was boring. He did nothing but cook for his roommates (and now family, most likely), sleep, and go to- "Crap."

Kousuke raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I have class in the morning." What a perfect time to remember he had course work and needed sleep.

"Ah, right, you're still a good little boy that goes to school and kisses his mommy goodnight, right?" Kousuke snickered and ruffled the already-messy hair.

Instead of instinctively moving away from unwanted contact, the brunette just averted his gaze once more and let a small blush rise to his face. "Well, I don't have a mother, but I do go to school. We're not all thieves, you know, some of us have to work for a living."

Kousuke smirked and relief washed through the younger one-- he wasn't witty at all, so he wasn't sure how a joke would go over. Thankfully, his new-found crush had a sense of humor. "If you've got to go, then do so. Perhaps I'll see you at a later date."

Ayumu mumbled something and turned to leave, but paused when a hand closed in on his arm and he was pulled back into Kousuke's body. The blush deepened and he slowly turned his face up to the other man's, "Can I...help you with something?"

If meeting Kousuke had been otherworldly, then what happened to him next was impossible. Before Ayumu knew what was happening, lips were being pressed against his and Kousuke was suddenly _very _close. His brain went into overdrive and if he _had _been capable of coherent thought before, he surely wasn't now. By the time he realized that he was being kissed, it was over and one sparkling green eye was winking at him.

"Nah, I'm good," were the last words Kousuke spoke before he disappeared into the shadows.

Ayumu looked around for a moment, and couldn't believe that there was no one to witness that. Of all the luck-- something that will probably never happen again happened, and now he only had his own, very fuzzy, recollection of it. Once his head stopped spinning and his face was no longer on fire, Ayumu took a deep breath of cold air and turned back to return home once again.

---

Hiyono awoke in the early hours of the morning in a strange room. She rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping beauty of pale skin and silver hair. Blushing faintly, and thankful it was still dark, she slipped from the pianist's bed and stood still for a moment.

Everything in Eyes' room was so serene and peaceful. Either she had never realized it, or just always took it for granted, but her ex was definitely a calming person, if nothing else. He was also (though he'd never admit it) capable of being rather charming and romantic when he needed to be. When they were together, Hiyono was never disappointed, that was for sure.

Another glance back to the sleeping man told her, though, that everything had changed. Eyes hadn't been what she was looking for, not ultimately, and even though she was the one to lose interest, he was the one to break it off. He said that her heart was somewhere else, and when she couldn't disagree, they had parted ways.

Of course, it wasn't long after that that Eyes happened upon Hiyono again and they got to talking. One thing led to another and just like that, they were living together. Though, nothing was like it was before. Eyes had been right, and Hiyono had found someone else that she loved with all her heart. At least, that's what she confessed to him; she also admitted that she enjoyed still being around him and would love to have him as a friend. He stoically agreed, though inside a fire began burning in him that he had yet to put out; a fire that wanted to consume this man that she had given her heart to. What was more, he had a daily opportunity to watch her fawn over him while he ignored her every advance.

Hiyono, in her own little world of love and loss, didn't realize any of this, and though she would be sensitive to Eyes' feelings (whether he wanted her to be or not) if she'd noticed them, the fact was that she didn't. Eyes would be alright with that, though, he would have just as well had it so that they never talked about their relationships again.

Then again, when did Hiyono ever _not _talk? And relationships inevitably come up in all conversations. So, she was stuck being oblivious and he was stuck being ignored. Neither really happy, but (for different reasons) content with their ex's presence. Perhaps that was why she had blushed when she woke up so close to him?

Shaking her head, Hiyono combed through her hair with her fingers and headed towards the door. Before exiting, she glanced over her shoulder once more and let a small smile cross her lips. Even if things with Ayumu never worked out, even if they were never even close, she'd always have Eyes.

* * *

Jeez, this chapter wasn't fond of ending. It was Eyes and Hiyono, they kept it going...for some reason... and no, this most definitely is not my fangirlishness trying to stick these two together, and it's not just me saying 'well, I'm hooking these two up, so let's throw these guys together, too'. They have a purpose. You'll just have to wait to see what it is, though. And yes, it's the obvious one, too. I'll stop ranting now. Hope you enjoyed! 


	6. Chapter 6

Alright... so I sent Kenbu a note saying that the chapter would be up Tuesday or Wednesday. Er... never mind that note's about a week old right now. x-x, sorry? But I forced myself through sleepiness and a neck cramp to finish this damn chapter so you didn't have to wait another week. Just be glad there was no work at work tonight and I didn't have to stay, so I got to come home and write this. Well, I hope it's sufficient. Enjoy!

Kenbu: It seems I'm just testing your forgiveness levels, aren't I? XD, well, you'll get your date.. though, it's these two, don't expect it to be normal. Thanks for reviewing!

misydidi: Hopefully there'll be more kissing.. and more than kissing soon. XD, thanks for reviewing!

firenightwalker: Glad you like the fic, I'll try to get another chapter out whenever I can. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: The evil review-cutting-off site strike again x-x. But nice to know you liked the ending at least...and something about Hiyono XD. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"Man, that was a long day," Ayumu groaned as he made his way into his apartment. A quick glance around set the immediate area empty, and the brunette wondered where everyone had gone. _"Hiyono's probably still in class," _he reminded himself, which only left his brother, Madoka, and Eyes to find.

"Kiyotaka and Madoka are out," Eyes informed him, stepping from the bathroom in a silk, blue bathrobe.

Ayumu cast the silver-haired man a glance before turning to head into the living room, "Oh." Annoyed at the lack of response, Eyes ignored the brunette altogether and went into his room. Ayumu simply shook his head-- even after all that time, the intensity between them hadn't died down one bit. He still wasn't sure why Eyes was such a bastard to him, but he was seeing more and more now that it had something to do with Hiyono. Frankly, though he was too tired and didn't care near enough to think on it.

"Roommate issues?" a strange voice asked, making Ayumu jump.

He spun around to see a short-haired woman clad in black. Her crimson eyes burned into him as she studied him as if he were a criminal. "Who are you?" he demanded, not bothering to try and arm himself. She was pretty tiny, and he was sure he could take her if he had to.

"Relax," she said, waving a hand, "I'm not here to start anything, I just thought I should meet you since he's talked so much about you."

"Who? You mean Kousuke?"

She nodded and glanced around the apartment, "Yup, I'm Ryoko."

"Yeah, he's mentioned you, but why do you want to meet me?"

When she looked back to him again, her eyes held an air of friendliness, though her posture was still that of a predator. "I wanted to see what was so special about you. Kousuke doesn't usually show an interest in anyone else, but I think he might genuinely like you."

Ayumu hid a blush by focusing his attention on something other than Ryoko, "He and my brother, though..."

Ryoko quirked an eyebrow, "What about them?"

"They don't like each other, to say the least, so it's not like something could happen between us."

Sighing, the brunette shook her head, "Baka, you're as oblivious as Kousuke?"

Confused, Ayumu looked back to her, "What do you mean?"

"Something already _is _happening between you two, isn't it obvious? Kousuke wouldn't risk exposure for anyone else. He's falling for you, hard, and I know you're doing the same."

"Well I... that is to say... I mean I'm not _really_-"

"You are. Really," she cut him off, "You're not fooling anyone and it'd probably make it easier for everyone if you were a bit more straightforward with your feelings."

Ayumu hesitated at this-- he wasn't a really straightforward kind of guy. Then again, he also wasn't a 'feelings' kind of guy. He had them, sure, but he never brought much attention to them, and he certainly didn't talk about them on purpose.

"Be at the Downtown Cafe in an hour," Ryoko said, stirring him from his thoughts, "Then you two can sort all of this out together." Before Ayumu could object, the female thief slipped past him and out the apartment door.

---

An hour later and sure enough, Ayumu was waiting outside a small cafe with neon lights and the smell of coffee and pastries. He checked his watch to make sure he wasn't late, and then sat at one of the outdoor tables that sat next to the sidewalk. His mind ran over the encounter with Ryoko, and one thought kept swimming through his head.

_"What do we need to sort out? Why does there have to be anything _to _sort out? Can't we just go on, pretending I don't feel anything for him?" _Of course, Ayumu's thoughts never reached a level of imagination where Kousuke would reciprocate the feelings. Of course not.

Tired from his long day of school and dreading the arrival home to some very hungry roommates (naturally Kiyotaka wouldn't bother to cook unless Madoka got on his case), Ayumu wanted to just curl up in the proverbial little ball and disappear from the world. Unfortunately, the only place he might be able to do that was several streets down, and he had an appointment to keep.

"You look so deep in thought, it's a shame to disturb you," a voice said, breaking any chain of thought the brunette could muster up. Kousuke always did and always would have that effect on him, and he was starting not to mind in the least.

"Just been a long day," he muttered in response, glancing up to see the redhead he knew would be standing before him.

"I can tell," Kousuke commented, taking a seat across the table, "You look like you're about to fall asleep. You know, if this is a bad time, we can-"

"It's fine," Ayumu said hastily, then paused and blushed slightly, "I mean, it's alright. I can stay up for a little while longer before I crash."

Kousuke chuckled, "If you're sure."

An unnerving silence settled between them and Ayumu, who usually opted for the silence, didn't like it one bit. Frankly, he didn't like not hearing Kousuke's voice. "So... why exactly are we here?"

An eyebrow shot up at the question, "Ryoko told me that you asked me to meet you here."

"But... she told me to come here to meet you." The two shared a look that said neither had any plans to meet the other, and perhaps Ryoko was trying to play matchmaker.

"So, I wonder why she'd set us up like this," the emerald-eyed man wondered, "Any reason you can think of?"

_"She told me that we'd sort things out... I know exactly why she set us up." _And Ayumu was sure Kousuke had reached the same conclusion. Though, if that was the case, perhaps she knew something he didn't; perhaps Kousuke _did _find some interest in Ayumu. The brunette couldn't forget that his new-found crush had already told him that he himself, not Kaitou, had taking a liken to the detective.

"Well, I guess if neither of us has anything to say, I should let you get home so you can get some rest," Kousuke suggested, a small smirk playing at his lips.

"No, don't leave. Uh... I mean... we can find something to talk about, right?"

If the silence had been awkward, then the conversation was a landslide of stutters and blushes, all coming from Ayumu's direction. Kousuke grinned slightly, "Sure thing."

"Great," the brunette sighed, "so... what's up?"

Kousuke couldn't help the small snicker of amusement that rose from his throat. Here they were, as close as two individuals could be on more levels that necessary, and he was asking 'what's up?'. It was just a testimony to how awkward he must have been. "Let me ask you a question instead. I promise it will be more interesting than yours."

Ayumu groaned inside, but just nodded. The last thing he needed Kousuke thinking was that he was an idiot that couldn't hold a decent conversation. In fact, if given the right partner and topic, Ayumu could talk for hours. "So?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Chocolate eyes blinked once. Twice. Two more times. A fifth. The inevitable 'huh?' jumped out of his throat, but he quickly shook it off, "Why do you ask something like that?"

"Just curious. I mean... you are in college, and most everyone hooks up with _someone _in college."

Desperate to turn the conversation around, Ayumu shook his head, "And what about you? I mean.. you live with another girl."

"True... but don't you as well?"

_"He knows about Hiyono? How? Have I mentioned anything? I didn't think I did..." _Though, the possibility of talking without thinking was high when a certain thief was around.

"And Ryoko's not my girlfriend. In fact, I don't have one, nor do I want one," Kousuke continued with a shrug.

"Why not? Isn't that what most people are after? Someone to get with?" Ayumu just decided to ignore the blatant fact that Kousuke was indeed _not _like most people.

"Well, sure, I'm always looking, but not for a girlfriend." Though, with all of their previous actions, the formalities of confessing their preferences (both for males and each other) were just that. Still, it seemed like the proper thing to do.

"So then..." Ayumu could put more than two and two together, and all the equations led to one answer.

"A boyfriend," he confirmed, "But guys aren't as easy to get along with most of the time, so it's slim pickings."

"Yeah," the brunette said, a little too understandingly. He caught himself with another stutter, "I-I mean..." _"Damn it," _he hissed in his head, _"Do I have to continue to look like a total jackass in front of him every time I see him?"_

"You know exactly what I mean, I'm guessing." Ayumu nodded, sticking to silence for the time being. "Though, there is this one guy I've been seeing a lot of lately that I think I might like to get to know a bit better."

The blush came back with a vengeance, though Ayumu was sure he did a better job of hiding it this time. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah... really cute, funny-looking hair, though."

The funny-looking-haired boy shot his gaze up, "My hair is not-!"He caught himself before he completely dug his own grave and there was no hiding the embarrassed-fueled blush this time.

Slender fingers came down and ruffled the mess of brown hair, "Just a bit messy... looks like you just got out of bed every time I see you."

Ayumu muttered something and ran his fingers through his own hair. It then clicked what Kousuke had said and he raised his eyes to the piercing green ones once more. "You...like me?" The kiss had been one thing, but to say that he actually _liked _Ayumu was on another level.

Kousuke, being the fearless and proud man he was, chuckled and nodded his agreement, "I most certainly do."

"Oh," Ayumu said simply, "Well...I...I like you, too." It was a bit easier to admit his feelings once he already knew they were mutual.

"Then I guess we like each other."

"I guess we do."

The silence settled back over the two (couple?) again, but it was a different silence than Ayumu had ever experienced. As Kousuke reached across the table and intertwined their fingers, Ayumu felt warm inside and finally comfortable in his own skin.

* * *

HolyRahell. I went on a complete semi-inspiration spur there. About time again, too. I didn't really _want _to write it, but it certainly didn't stop me like it usually does. Ah well, as long as it gets written, right? I know it's a little short for how long the wait was, but at least it's something. And look, progress in the relationship. Yay. Hope you enjoyed! 


	7. Chapter 7

It always seems like I write the first half of the chapter, ignore it for a month, then write the second half. In this case... it was almost two months. Honestly, though, I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do with this fic. I had a plan, but it seemed overdone and predictable. I'm trying to keep it at least partially interesting until I can come up with a basic, solid plot, which is why most of this might seem redundant and like it's going nowhere. I promise I'll come up with something by next chapter, though. Enjoy!

If You Get My Drift: XD, continue I shall. Just... perhaps at an incredibly slow and torturous pace. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: Relationship progress is the only thing I have going for me right now since I don't know what I'm doing with the plot. That's also the reason for these incredibly short chapters. I can't bullshit too much at once or else I get everything confused and complicated. Thanks for reviewing!

XLilith: Soon? Uhh...well, it's before Christmas...if that's not soon... then it's really delayed x-x. Sorry about that, but I can hope I'll get the next chapter out sooner. I hope you don't get bored with this, I do promise it'll pick up soon... as soon as I can get my thoughts in order. XD, and it won't be a very delayed soon, either, so don't worry. Within the next chapter or two, you'll notice some definite plotage. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"Ayumu," Hiyono whispered, nudging the brunette sitting next to her.

"Mm...hmm?"

"Narumi, if you will pay attention, _please_, I would like you to answer the question."

Uninterested brown eyes glanced up to his teacher and Ayumu barely managed to keep his yawning under control. Since he'd started seeing Kousuke more regularly, this normal life of college and friends seemed so... normal. And normal only ever equaled one thing: Boring.

"Ask someone else," Ayumu suggested, turning his gaze back to the outside world, which he only caught a glimpse of through the window on the far side of the classroom.

Hiyono sweatdropped as their teacher sighed in annoyance and turned his attention to someone else. She looked back to Ayumu and waved a hand in front of his face, "Ayumu, are you still in there?"

He batted her hand away, annoyed, and looked to her, "I'm here and I'm fine. What do you want?"

"You've really been on edge lately, especially in class," she noted, "You've been getting a lot more irritated... with everyone."

"Maybe everyone's just a bit more irritating," he offered, shrugging, "Why do you care?"

"Because you're my friend and I want to make sure everything's okay," she told him, a little desperately.

Once again, chocolate-colored eyes looked back to the window, "I already told you, everything's..."

"Everything's what?" she wondered, looking from the teacher to Ayumu. She sighed as his gaze was fixated once again outside. _"Hopeless,"_she thought, and resumed copying notes from the lecture.

_"Kousuke!"_Ayumu thought, staring at the thief outside his classroom window.

Acting just as if he belonged there, the redhead was perched comfortably on a high tree branch, a ridiculously amused grin plastered on his face. He knew his presence would startle the man, and most likely cause a scene, but he wished to see his new item of interest that morning.

He raised a hand, nonchalantly, and mouthed a 'what's up?' to the brunette inside. A smirk covered his lips as Ayumu stared for a few more moments before the hand he was resting his head on slipped and his messy-haired head made loud contact with the desk. Everyone paused what they were doing to stare, and Kousuke saw the younger one's teacher say something to him, an annoyed look on his wrinkled face.

In the middle of all the action, Ayumu sent an annoyed glare to his teacher, and stood up. He began gathering his books, and muttered, "I'm going home for today," before throwing his bag over his shoulder and leaving without another word. A few classmates glanced to Hiyono, who only shrugged, just as confused as they were.

---

Outside, Ayumu scanned the empty property for any signs of his love interest. Devoid of all students that were in class, it should have been easy to spot the redhead a mile away. Kousuke, however, was a master at keeping covered, and so Ayumu saw nothing but trees and leaves blowing in the wind. Sighing to himself, the brunette ran a hand through his hair and shifted his backpack; after causing him to make such a big scene in class, the least Kousuke could do was _be _there when he went looking for the thief.

"Done falling out of chairs for the day?" Kousuke wondered from behind the searching student. A smirk lined his lips as Ayumu spun around to face him and put on an obviously fake and confused expression. "Why do you look so upset? Did I do something wrong? I only wanted to come visit you at school."

"You're a criminal," Ayumu hissed under his breath, checking again to make sure no one was overhearing their conversation, "You're not supposed to just be out running around."

"So criminals can't have lives?" the thief wondered.

Ayumu rolled his eyes, "Actually, no, and most of them end up in prison. Just because Kiyotaka isn't after you doesn't mean that you're untouchable."

Kousuke strode over to the law-abiding man and hooked an arm loosely around his waist, "Well, you don't have to worry about that," he muttered, "I have no problem with being touched."

A faint blush covered Ayumu's cheeks as he diverted his gaze from the piercing green one. "You don't need to try and sound like a pervert, you know."

The redhead snickered and kissed the rose-colored cheek, "Maybe not, but it does give you a nice color."

"I'm not going back to class," Ayumu stated all of a sudden, "and since you're the reason I had to leave, you should make up for it."

An eyebrow quirked in amusement and Kousuke chuckled, "Is that so?"

Sternly and perhaps a bit stubbornly, Ayumu nodded, "Absolutely, it's what any gentleman would do."

"Ah, but you forget," Kousuke countered, stepping back from the brown-eyed boy and turning to exit the school grounds, "I'm a criminal, certainly not a gentleman."

Only a little reluctantly, Ayumu followed in the older one's footsteps, "You're Kousuke right now," he reminded him, "not Kaitou."

A mischievous look crossed over the not-Kaitou's face as he glanced back at the trailing brunette, "Fair enough," he conceded, "So where to?"

---

"I don't see why you're worried about him, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"That's not the point, he's been spending way too much time on his own and today he even ran out of class and-"

"He left class?" This time it was Kiyotaka, who had yet to take part in the conversation, speaking.

Hiyono looked to the detective and nodded, "I thought something had been troubling him for a while, and then he practically fell out of his chair, then left class."

"Perhaps he's simply experiencing the first stages of insanity," Eyes suggested, completely serious.

Kiyotaka shook his head, "It's not that," he assured both of them.

"Then you know what it is?" Hiyono asked, chomping at the bit for information.

"I don't think it would be wise to say anything," the elder Narumi told her. In all honesty, he didn't want to deal with how she would react to hearing that Ayumu had been following around another guy like a lost puppy. Kiyotaka himself wasn't fond of the idea, but he knew (at least for now) that Kaitou wouldn't do anything. The only threat was that Ayumu would get too close and get hurt.

"Come on, I have to know what's wrong with him," the female of the group pleaded.

"It's an invasion of privacy," Kiyotaka informed her, a cold tone in his voice, "If he wanted you to know, or felt that you should, he would have told you. Perhaps he merely doesn't trust you enough with such valuable information." He was sure what he'd said was too much, as the shocked look settled onto the girl's face.

She frowned and looked down to the steaming cup of tea she held in her hands. After a few moments, she collected herself and spoke lowly, "I've been by his side when you abandoned him. For years, I've been the only one he had to talk to. So, tell me, why would he choose you to confess personal things to over me?"

The tone of voice and even her words were odd for the girl speaking them. Hiyono was never a selfish person and always accepted whatever happened. However, when her feelings were put into play, she sometimes acted out of character and this was one instance where her feelings had been strained to the point of breaking.

"I'm his brother," Kiyotaka stated simply, "No matter how you feel about him, there is no guarantee he would ever care for you like he does for his family. You are his friend, I'll acknowledge that, but don't try to force your feelings on him. More importantly, don't try to undermine our relationship to make yours appear greater than what it is." Having said all he intended to, the oldest member of the household rose from his seat and silently exited the apartment.

Still staring at her tea, Hiyono bit her bottom lip with a concentration hardly exerted. Eyes was still sitting next to her, and she refused to break down in his presence. While him being there should have comforted her, all it was doing at the moment was making her feel worse. She had thrown away his devotion and loyalty; a wonderful boyfriend, and all for what? To be rejected and denied at every advance, not only by Ayumu, but his brother as well? She wondered to herself if chasing down Ayumu was worth it.

"I shouldn't have broken up with you," she whispered, barely hearing herself.

Eyes' gaze, as it always seemed to be, was fixed on Hiyono. He studied her sunken demeanor, and hated Ayumu with a new passion. Not only was he jealous of the man for stealing Hiyono's attention, but angry that he could take such a dedicated and loveable girl for granted. Even if he didn't return her feelings, he could have at least taken the time to acknowledge them.

"You did what you felt was right at the time, no one can blame you for that," the pianist said.

"I always just told myself that it was worth it, and that one day Ayumu would realize that I'd been waiting for him all this time and... and that we'd be happy together. Now, though, it doesn't feel like that will ever happen." She took a moment to let out a shaky breath and close her eyes, "Meanwhile, I've been ignoring you, trying to keep my eyes on him."

"You can't be blamed for following your heart," Eyes assured her, "Even if you blame yourself, I won't blame you."

She shook her head and took a sip of the tea, letting the warm liquid wash down her throat. "How can you still say such thoughtful things after all this time?" she wondered.

"It's simple, really," the silver-haired man stated, fixing his eyes on her closed ones, "I'm still in love with you."

* * *

I didn't really want to end the chapter here, but if I didn't, it'd be twice as long as it is now, and I want to save everything else for next chapter. I won't really get into what Ayumu and Kousuke do... at all... so you can leave that up to your imaginations. XD, just know they're not off sleeping together or making out or anything like that. Let's just go with lunch for now, and possibly a nice, long, semi-meaningful conversation. Hope you enjoyed! 


	8. Chapter 8

This was a long time coming, wasn't it? Ooh, but we have an update in our Player Profile (yes, I am lame enough to give it a name), XDD. Also, go check out the poll in my profile, if you would. I'm trying to become better, and hopefully that will help some. So, with that said, enjoy!

Player Update:

**Ayumu Narumi**

Age: 20

Occupation: N/A, former college student

Status: Inactive (currently on hiatus from classes)

Thorn Mira: XD, well, that's the best way to fall, isn't it? I'm glad you think everyone's in character, that's always been one of my biggest fears (as most can tell you since I admit it often) XD. Thanks for reviewing!

If You Get My Drift: XDD, and you're getting mentioned again. **LOOK EVERYONE, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PERSON! THEY'RE AWESOME AND DESERVE YOUR LOVE! **There, now you've been mentioned and attention has been drawn to you. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: XD, I've been relying on Eyes and Hiyono to fill all those gaps where I have nothing else to put. Hopefully that will become less and less once I actually get some sort of plot going. Which... well, it's not really a _plot_, but it'll cause excitement, suspense, and even a bit of drama. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Half a week had passed since Ayumu left class and half a week had passed since he'd even thought about school. More importantly, half a week had passed since he'd returned home. Every now and then, when he thought of his brother or Hiyono, he felt a sick twisting in his stomach. He knew that it was wrong to up and leave them like he did, but he couldn't bare to see their disappointed faces when he told them he was giving up everything he had been working for. Since meeting Kousuke, his desire to become a detective and follow in his brother's footsteps had dwindled severely and spending a few days with the thief only strengthened his resolve to quit what could be a very promising career.

Ryoko, the other thief living with his new boyfriend, had disapproved of the situation immediately, but Kousuke argued with her until she begrudgingly caved. Ayumu swore he could still hear her muttering about 'ruined futures' and 'innocent boys getting sucked in', but he was sure that she was just over reacting. After all, what would some thief he barely even knew care about his well-being?

Once again, Ayumu found himself holding his cell phone in his hand, finger at the ready to dial a number and explain everything. He thought about first calling Hiyono, then realized she might be in class. His thoughts then traveled to Kiyotaka, but his gut churned with guilt until he couldn't take the thought of hearing his sibling's voice. Sighing, his mind raced to Eyes, but after a moment, he threw the phone down. Eyes would only make him feel worse and tell him to stay away; that he'd ruined everyone's life enough.

Sighing, he failed to notice the presence of another man in the room until the bathroom door clicked shut. Turning his head, he saw Kousuke in all his steamy, after-shower glory flash him a grin.

"Did I interrupt?" he wondered, taking a seat next to the brunette.

"Nah," Ayumu shook his head, "I was just thinking about calling someone."

An eyebrow quirked, "Anyone in particular? Your brother, maybe?"

The younger one froze for a moment before looking at him, "Well, I don't want him to worry."

"Forget about him," Kousuke said quickly, hooking an arm loosely around the other one's shoulders, "He left you for how long? He can wait for a few days."

Ayumu thought to argue that he didn't want to worry his brother just because the older man was away on business, but the soft scent of body wash and Kousuke's own scent caught his words in his throat and he succumbed to the redhead. Slowly, he leaned in closer to the half-dressed man and sighed softly against the tender flesh of the broad chest.

Kousuke grinned again, out of the brown-eyed man's sight, and wrapped his arms around the younger one. Whatever new possession had overcome him, he didn't want to release his younger love to anyone, least of all Kiyotaka.

---

"If you're so worried about him, call him," Madoka suggested, shooting an annoyed look at her husband.

Kiyotaka simply shook his head, "I know where he is."

"That doesn't mean you aren't worried," she countered.

Hiyono nodded in agreement, though her own eyes mirrored the concern reflected in the man's brother, "She's right, you know."

"You're no better," Eyes spoke up, glancing away from a book to look at the three, "you're just as concerned."

Hiyono frowned slightly and shot a quick glance to Kiyotaka, who was studying her with a slight bit of interest. "Well, of course I'm worried," she spoke up in her own defense, "Ayumu's my friend and it's not like him to just go missing." She wouldn't say it, but what worried her more than anything was the fact that she had no idea _why _her friend had disappeared.

Kiyotaka shook his head lightly, "My brother can take care of himself and he's safe." He wasn't so sure in the long run these words would be true, but as far as his current well-being went, Ayumu probably couldn't be in better hands.

"You said you know where he is," Hiyono stated, "How? Where is he? Why hasn't he come home?"

"He only has suspicions," Eyes assured her, not sparing Kiyotaka a glance, "He doesn't know for sure."

The elder sibling regarded Eyes with an icy stare rivaling the pianist's own cold gaze, "Shouldn't you not speak of things which you know nothing about?"

"So you deny it?"

"I do," the elder brother said firmly, "I know more of my brother than you think."

Eyes didn't respond, though no one expected him to. So, instead of hanging around and being bothered by the women of the group, Kiyotaka stood, uttered a quick goodbye and walked out the door.

Hiyono, frowning and concerned, rashly chased after him. "Kiyotaka, wait!" she called.

The brunette paused where he was and glanced over his shoulder, "What?"

"Are you sure Ayumu's safe?" she asked, her voice small and afraid of what answer might be given.

"I can't answer you for sure," he admitted, "but whatever Kaitou has planned for him, he won't act on until Ayumu is completely wrapped around his finger."

"Kaitou?" Hiyono repeated, slightly confused. Despite all that had happened, Hiyono had remained in the dark about Ayumu's relationship.

"Yes, Ayumu has been seeing him. Or didn't he tell you that, either?" The rhetorical question was meant to do nothing but hurt the woman, which it seemed to be doing well.

The blonde stared for a moment before closing her eyes, _"Even after all of this time, he still blocks me out. He continues to refuse me... why? Ayumu, why do you keep pushing me away?"_

"Perhaps you shouldn't force your feelings on someone who doesn't wish to accept them." The voice that reached her ears was not that of a ruthless Narumi, but a gentler accent and one of sympathy.

Hiyono opened her eyes again to see that Kiyotaka had snuck out and recognized the voice as Eyes'. She turned around slowly to face her ex and frowned, "But why doesn't he? I just want to help him."

"Ayumu is the kind of person that doesn't accept help, you know that," he reminded her, "He doesn't do well with his emotions."

"But we've known each other since high school," she argued, "and he still won't open up to me."

"Then he may never, and you'll just have to accept that."

Hiyono's frown only deepened and just as she felt she was at her breaking point, a pair of comforting arms wrapped around her. She gasped slightly, but quickly succumbed to the embrace and hugged the pianist back. She fought back the tears that threatened to break loose, and simply stood there in silence with the man she never should have left.

---

"They'll be looking for me soon," Ayumu muttered, "I can't stay here forever, you know."

"You really think Kiyotaka cares that much?" Kousuke asked him, scowling slightly.

The brunette let an amused smile slip over his lips as he curled up to the older one, "There's no need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous," he replied, way too quickly.

"And yes, I do think he cares," Ayumu told him, "He is my older brother, after all."

"Being of relation doesn't automatically mean someone cares," Kousuke told him.

"I know that much, but Kiyotaka's always looked out for me."

The redhead studied his boyfriend for a moment before sighing, "So go home, then."

Ayumu nibbled on his lip, contemplating his decisions before intertwining his fingers with Kousuke's, "Come with me."

Emerald eyes blinked a couple times, "Come with you?"

Ayumu nodded, "Yes, I want you to meet everyone." He paused and a faint rose color covered his cheeks, "You are my... boyfriend now, right? So you should meet my friends."

Kousuke blinked again before smirking and kissing the flushed cheek, "Alright, then I'll come with you."

* * *

Hm... so how will that all turn out? How will Hiyono respond to all of this, and will Kiyotaka come back before Kousuke leaves again? XDD, I feel like a cheesy preview for the next chapter, but I guess I am. Hope you enjoyed! 


	9. Chapter 9

Did you all have a nice wait? Well, so did I. You know, if I didn't dick around so much, I could probably have a new chapter out at least once a week. It's really sad that it's been two months since this only took me two days to write. I guess it just takes me a while to get in the mood of writing. x-x, maybe I lost my passion for it. Uh...hope that doesn't affect the quality any XD. Enjoy!

**Note:** I hate to do this, I really do. However, there is a lot of shit going on in my life right now and I don't want to keep putting you guys in the dark of when the next update is going to be. Having said that, I'm going on hiatus for a little while. My guess is a couple weeks to a month. When I come back, I will come back with at least a chapter, maybe two, but I can't concentrate on this right now and I really hate feeling obligated to do it so I don't disappoint anyone. I'm really, really sorry, and I promise to make it up to you all somehow.

kutoki: XD, apparently last chapter was an 'awww' chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

AstroZombies: Sorry you had to wait so long. Thanks for reviewing!

If You Get My Drift: XD, yes, again. I could make it more noticeable if you'd like. Thanks for reviewing!

Solo Maxwell-Yamato: Well, the meeting went over alright, but we'll see about when they really get into it. And you'll be happy, then, since you seem to like Ryoko. XD, she and Kiyotaka get their own little scene together. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"I'm home!" Ayumu called out, pushing his front door open. It hadn't been locked, so he found it odd that there were no lights on in the main room and all of the bedroom doors were closed. He stepped inside and glanced over his shoulder to Kousuke, "Looks like no one's home."

"Guess they're not worried about you," the redhead joked, following him inside, "Why did you want to come back again?"

"This _is _my home," Ayumu reminded him, "and I'm sure at least Hiyono was worried."

_"At least it looks like Kiyotaka isn't here," _Kousuke thought, looking around the room, _"That's good, I don't need him causing Ayumu anymore tension."_ He watched as the brunette stuck his head inside a couple of rooms before returning to the living room, "That's odd, there really is no one here."

Easily finding a light switch, Kousuke lit the room up and shrugged, "Well, I guess we'll just wait, then."

_"I didn't check Eyes' room, but even if he is here, it's best not to disturb him," _Ayumu thought, nodding to his boyfriend, "I hope you get along with everyone."

Kousuke chuckled and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around the man, "Come on, even if we don't get along, it won't be a problem."

Ayumu blinked and looked up at him, "What do you..."

"Isn't it obvious? I love you, and your friends and family care about you. That's more important than some personality differences or arguments." He grinned and kissed Ayumu's forehead, "Just for you, I'll make sure we get along."

"Kousuke..." Ayumu sighed, "Just when I think you're an insensitive jerk, you go and say something like that."

"Insensitive jerk?" the redhead repeated, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you really with someone incapable of understanding simple words?" a soft voice asked from the darkened hallway, "How disappointing, Ayumu."

"Rutherford," Ayumu sighed, "So you are here."

"Who's this?" Kousuke asked, wrinkling his nose in the silver-haired one's direction.

"Eyes Rutherford," the pianist introduced himself, "one of Ayumu's roommates."

"Roommate?" the redhead scoffed, "What? Can't get a place on your own?"

"My reasons for being here are none of your concern," Eyes informed him, "so keep your questions to yourself."

"Keep my..." Kousuke gritted his teeth, his dislike for the man in front of him with such a calm demeanor was intensifying by the moment. He really hated people like this-- people like Kiyotaka.

Ayumu sighed, "Alright, give it a rest, you two." He lightly grabbed his boyfriend's hand before looking to Eyes, "Is everyone else out?"

_"Everyone else?" _Kousuke thought, _"Just how many people does he live with?"_

"Kiyotaka left a short while ago and Madoka has been out since yesterday."

"On business?" Ayumu wondered, hoping that everything had gone well in his absence. He sighed, slightly relieved, when the older one nodded. "And Hiyono?"

"I'm right here," said woman spoke up, walking up behind Eyes. She looked hardly presentable: Her usually smooth hair messed up and her usual attire replaced with a set of (in Ayumu's opinion, skimpy) pajamas.

"Where were you?" the brunette wondered, frowning, "I checked your room just a couple minutes ago."

"And didn't even knock?" she asked, "I didn't know we were _that _close, Ayumu."

"Wha... that's not what I..." He sighed and shook his head, "Either way, you weren't in your room, so where did you come from?"

Hesitating, Hiyono's eyes scanned the redhead seated next to her friend and quickly changed the subject, "Oh, a guest? I must look horrid."

Kousuke, ignorant of the rising tension, grinned and waved a hand, "No need to get all dressed up on my account," he offered. Truth be told, he just didn't want to make anymore enemies with Ayumu's friends. Though, he still couldn't tell if the cocky silver-haired guy was a friend or not.

Hiyono blushed faintly (from embarrassment, everyone assumed) and nodded, "My name is Hiyono Yuizaki, it's nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Kousuke nodded, "Kousuke Asazuki."

Ayumu's eyes widened slightly as he turned his attention to the green-eyed man, _"Asazuki is his last name? Why didn't I already know that?" _He frowned slightly, wondering if he should make anything of it. _"Couldn't it just be that I never asked so he never told. Still, he's known my last name from the start." _He reminded himself that was only because he knew Kiyotaka's last name and that the two were brothers. It only dawned on Ayumu then that he had rushed into this relationship with Kousuke, and that he knew very little about the thief.

"Ayumu, did you hear me?" Hiyono's voice broke through his train of thought and he turned his attention back to her.

"Sorry... what was that?"

She sighed, obviously used to him zoning out, "I asked you where you've been. We've been worried sick about you!"

A quick glance to Eyes' impassive face told Ayumu the only one that was worried about him was the glaring woman in front of him. "Sorry," he said again, "but I came back so you wouldn't be worried."

"Really?" she asked, slightly taken back, "It's not like you to show so much compassion."

"Are you kidding?" Kousuke interjected, half-snorting, "Ayumu's a big softy."

"What?" the softy exclaimed, "I am not."

"And how is that? You're impossible naive, aren't you?"

"I'm not naive, either. Stop making things up."

Hiyono watched the two bicker for a while, noticing the rising blush on her friend's face. It made her realize that in the short time Ayumu had known this boy, he had already gotten so much closer to the brunette's heart than she had in all her time being his friend.

She was stirred from her thoughts by a movement at her side. Eyes had turned back to the hallway and glanced over his shoulder, "I'll be returning to my room now."

The look he gave her made her blush just slightly and she nodded, unable to say anything. Once the pianist was secured away in his lair, she looked back to the remaining two, "Asazuki-san, would you like something to drink?"

Kousuke paused in his verbal war with Ayumu to look up at her, "Eh? Oh, sure." He wasn't interested, but decided it was best to accept any offers for the time being in the hopes of not looking rude. "By the way," he said as she headed towards the kitchen, "you can just call me Kousuke." Then again, formality was never his strong suit.

* * *

_"This is the last place the reports said he was," _Kiyotaka thought, hazel eyes scanning every inch of the area before him. It had, in fact, been the place where he and the thief had had their last conversation.

_**Flashback**_

_"I wanted to see what was so special about you," Kiyotaka stated plainly, "and I don't."_

_Kaitou quirked an eyebrow, "You don't?"_

_"No, I don't see what he does."_

_Emerald eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement, the air between them not thick, but certainly tense, "You mean Ayumu."_

_**End Flashback**_

Kiyotaka stood alone on the rooftop, concentrating on the place where his enemy had stood. As far as he was concerned, Kousuke was hardly a threat to him, but he could endanger Ayumu without a second thought. He had disliked the smirk the redhead gave him when he confessed Ayumu had plans to repay Kousuke's kindness. It was the grin of a man with ulterior motives and with everything in the palm of his hand.

"Foolish," the Narumi muttered, "Utterly-"

"Stupid," a new voice finished for him.

Not fond of being caught off guard, Kiyotaka glared in the direction of the shadows. What was presented to him was not a hostile-looking being, but certainly not a friendly one, either. The woman had to be around Kousuke's age and though her hair was a dull brown, her wild eyes reflected the red-soaked rays of a setting sun.

She placed a hand on her hip and gave Kiyotaka a knowing smile, "Kiyotaka Narumi," she greeted, "isn't it supposed to be the criminal that returns to the scene of the crime, not the detective?"

Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed further as she fully stepped into the light of the moon, "Who are you?"

"Ryoko Takamachi," she stated, "a companion and fellow thief of that hot-headed idiot you've been chasing around."

"Companion?" Kiyotaka repeated, a mocking tone in his voice, "You don't seem as unintelligent as he is, but being his friend you must have some deficiency."

"Cold words," she noted, "but couldn't the same be said about your brother for falling in love with the fool?"

"You know about Ayumu as well." It was no surprise, really, if she was friends with Kousuke as she had said. However, the way she easily talked about it was as if she had heard Ayumu's feelings from the man himself.

"I met him once," she told him, crossing her arms, "He seemed very confused, and I thought what a brother you must be not to notice your younger sibling suffering that way." A small grin slipped over her lips, "Or, perhaps, what a brother you must be to not care when you notice."

Kiyotaka, unaffected by a stranger's taunts, gave her a look of boredom, "And you think you know all about our relationship from one conversation?"

"Good point," she agreed, "but I didn't hear you denying it."

"I don't need to defend myself against someone like you." A thief, he meant, someone that was below the law and therefore below him. If he had so desired, he probably could have called for backup and taken her in, but something told him going after one of Kousuke's comrades might be crossing the line. Even if it wasn't, he had no interest in taking down anyone but the man himself.

"Fair enough," she sighed, "and here I was going to tell you a little secret about Kousuke."

In most cases, one would have jumped at the chance to get dirt on their enemy, but Kiyotaka was far from in a normal situation and he was also far from a normal person. "I have no interest."

She frowned slightly, "Is that so?"

When the thief made no other movement, Kiyotaka turned his back to her, "You and your information is none of my concern. If you wish at all to betray your own friend, find another way."

"Betray?" she repeated, "Not at all, quite the opposite, in fact."

"Then obviously you have the wrong interpretation of my feelings towards Kaitou."

"I was hoping to change some of those feelings, actually," she said, catching him from leaving, "I've known Kousuke for a long time and I know him better than anyone."

Kiyotaka sighed and glanced over his shoulder, "Fine, you think you can convince me?"

Ryoko smiled, a different smile than before, "When Kousuke and I first met, it was by a complete accident. We were both trying to steal the same piece of artwork and ended up fighting over it. In the end, we escaped from the police together and since my place was closer and I had the artwork, he followed me there. We got to talking and after a few hours, I thought that he was a complete idiot, but not a bad guy to have around. We agreed if we met again in the same situation that whoever didn't get this piece would get the next one, and so on."

"I asked to hear why I should give up pursuing Kaitou, not your past with him," Kiyotaka reminded her, on the verge of leaving.

"I'm getting to it," she said, "don't be so impatient. Anyway, he finally convinced me to hand over what I had stolen and we didn't meet again for several months. Sure enough, though, we both ended up in the same situation again. It had been something I really wanted, a rare vase that was rumored to be an ancient artifact. I had been studying about it for a while and finally I went to get it. Kousuke had been one step ahead of me and he had already lifted it and was getting ready to leave when I got there."

_**Flashback**_

_"Kaitou!" Ryoko called out, panting slightly. The museum was larger than she had anticipated and an alarm had been tripped moments after she entered the building. She was sure she had been careful, and that's when it hit her that someone else was after the same thing she was._

_Kousuke glanced over his shoulder, the vase already secured in a black bag. "Oh? Hey, Takamachi-san," he greeted, "Long time, eh?"_

_"Yeah," she nodded, "Kaitou, you remember our agreement, don't you?" Her eyes were trained on the bag, her desire for the already-stolen object obvious._

_"I remember," he assured her, "you really want this, then, yeah?"_

_Being honest (not something a thief should do), she nodded, "It's something I wanted for a long time."_

_"Is that so?" he wondered before grinning again, "Well, then, you should have gotten here earlier."_

_With that, Kousuke disappeared from view and out the open window he was preparing to jump from before Ryoko had caught up with him. "Kaitou!" she shouted, rushing to the window. However, the masked man had already disappeared into the night. Gritting her teeth, she leaned against the windowsill, glaring into the shadows. "Bastard," she hissed._

_Not having time to fully let her anger and disappointment settle in, Ryoko quickly exited the museum the same way upon hearing sirens approaching._

_**End Flashback**_

"Is that something that should make me favorable towards him?" Kiyotaka wondered after hearing the story.

Despite having seemed to recall a bad memory, Ryoko was smiling. "Kousuke might be an idiot, but he's a thoughtful one. He knew it was my birthday, and it had been a present to myself to finally obtain that vase. When I got home a little while later, I found the vase sitting on my table with a bouquet of my favorite flowers in it."

Kiyotaka frowned slightly, "You only talked to him once and you bothered to discuss your favorite flowers?" he wondered.

She laughed slightly and waved a hand, "I had a vase of them sitting out the night he was over; I guess he noticed them. Either way, my point is, even if he seems like he's ill-intentioned, Kousuke has a good heart and I know he cares about your brother. He won't do anything to hurt him or make him upset."

Kiyotaka considered these words and sighed, "I will make no promises," he told her, "and I will always be wary of his intentions with Ayumu."

"I would expect no less of a good older brother," she said in almost an approving tone.

"Didn't you say before you thought I wasn't?" he questioned, giving her a skeptic look.

"Not at all," she assured him, "After all, you wouldn't go this far and have such a struggle to decide what to do if it weren't because of your love for Narumi-kun. You can't decide whether you want to protect his happiness or his safety more, and that's why you came here, isn't it?"

"How long did you say you and Kaitou had been friends?"

Ryoko blinked, "I guess it's been about five years since our first meeting. Why?"

"Five years and yet that rationality still hasn't rubbed off on him?" Kiyotaka sighed, "Ayumu's doomed."

* * *

Haha, Kiyotaka made a joke. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Overall, I think I'm pretty happy with it, even if not a lot happened. This was kind of just an amusing chapter all around, though there were more hints towards Eyes and Hiyono's re-budding relationship. Whenever I return from my hiatus, hopefully I'll have a better idea of what direction this plot is heading in. I think I have an idea for a little plot twist, so maybe that'll work. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
